Asthma

Stopped breathing as waking in the night but awake anyone else experienced this???

[eleanordigby]

I don’t understand… what do you mean by “stopped breathing as waking in the night but awake”? Can you explain further?

[Hidden in reply to eleanordigby]

I work up and I was awake and I wasn't breathing

[eleanordigby in reply to Hidden]

that’s not possible though - it sounds like an anxiety attack? which is horrible too

[Hidden in reply to eleanordigby]

How's it not possible?

[eleanordigby in reply to Hidden]

I just mean, you obviously started breathing pretty fast or you wouldn’t be here posting on the site… so more likely to be panic

[Hidden in reply to eleanordigby]

Yeah but then I started breathing thankfully

[eleanordigby in reply to Hidden]

I see you’re under the Brompton so get in touch with one of their asthma nurses tomorrow, for advice. They always phone you back on the same day. But think about it - you woke up feeling you couldn’t breathe, but then found you could after all. You didn’t have to phone 999 or even your gp? So it wasn’t a bad attack. Were you just wheezy and needed a couple of puffs of your inhaler? This happens to all asthmatics, and to many of us, every night. It means your asthma isn’t well controlled though, so speak to one of the nurses.

[Hidden in reply to eleanordigby]

No wheeze just tight chest but very scary as didn't think was gonna respond

[Tugun in reply to Hidden]

During swine flu I woke not breathing. No wheeze just a totally tight chest. Tried to take my ventolin and only got a pin prick of the medicine in ie. that is the amount I could breathe in. That pin prick of ventolin opened up a little more and a little more. I kept taking ventolin every 30 seconds and trying to clear my lungs for the next hour until finally I didn't feel like I was going to die. Decided to ring the ambulance when I was no longer on death's door and realized that I could only speak one word at a time. I still didn't have enough breath to string two words together. By the time the ambulance came, I was speaking in sentences. At the hospital, I don't think they realized how bad I had been. I was still taking a lot of ventolin (when my chest started closing over again) and they were surprised at how much I was taking but didn't stop me. They just put me on prednisolone and sent me home.

I took two -three months to recover and had two more similar episodes during that time. Once was when a doctor told me to go off the prednisolone and I slowly did (even though I knew I wasn't really ready but I wanted to try so I listened to him.) He told me I was fine and he couldn't hear anything. I knew I wasn't fine and that my chest was still extremely dicey. I should have listened to my body.

I had swine flu - maybe you are extremely allergic to something in your bedroom. Try to find the cause whether it be viral, bacterial or an external irritant.

[hypercat54]

If you are asleep and you stop breathing your brain will wake you up. This is common with asthma. Is this what you mean?

[Hidden in reply to hypercat54]

But I was awake when I woke up and couldn't breth

[Patk1 in reply to Hidden]

Why couldn't u breathe? If u explain perhaps someone can support u x

[Hidden in reply to Patk1]

I don't know I just woke up and I couldn't breathe I stopped

[strongmouse in reply to Hidden]

Keep a reliever inhaler by your bed. I've woken up finding it hard to breathe and taken my blue inhaler (salbutamol / ventolin) plus turned on my hepa air filter as I have allergies too, which can effect my breathing. Suggest you speak to Asthma Nurse or GP about it. Did your breathing return to normal afterwards?

[hypercat54 in reply to Hidden]

In other words you were asleep then suddenly woke up unable to breathe? This is your body waking you up so you can attend to your breathing. This is common with asthma.

[SickpeoplewithCOPD]

I was diagnosed with Asthma some years ago and would get the same when sleeping. I would also get twitching/shaking of the lower limbs which woke me up.

My first problem with this experience was that one night my wife had to call the ambulance as I was passing out and fighting to breathe. The paramedics sorted me out and suggested I ask my GP for a nebuliser. I did - but was refused.

Another occasion followed a few weeks later- this time I was taken to hospital - while I assume was being treated by para meds. I had to stay in hospital for a week or so on a 'machine' which I assumed was oxygenating me .

Following discharge I had another relapse a few weeks later - it took over 8 hours for my wife to get me an ambulance (she thought I was gone) again however, the para meds must have been pumping me full of oxygen to keep me alive. Once again I was hospitalised for over a week on a 'machine' for 24 hours a day .

Eventually I was told I had COPD and empathemia - and was a carbon retainer therefore should only be given oxygen under a special routine - for which they gave me an instruction card to carry on me to warn para medics in future.

Eventually I was discharged and given an NIV machine to use all night while I was sleeping - to avoid me stopping breathing. The machine can sense if I stop breathing and give an extra push - but not to provide oxygen ... as too much will be turned to carbon which I cannot expel naturally - but somehow the machine removes.

This all happened some six months ago and I have not had this lack of breathing again. Unfortunately at 86 years old - my report from the hospital seems to imply - that should another hospitalisation occur like the last - I may not be resuscitated.

Amen.

[Tugun in reply to SickpeoplewithCOPD]

You can fight that "not to be resuscitated" order by stating in writing that it is your wish to be resuscitated. Doctors often say that because you are old that resuscitating someone might "injure" them - break a rib etc. It may, but if you feel strong and want to go on living you can demand that they resuscitate. However it mus t be done beforehand - a bit difficult if your heart has stopped beating. Give a copy of the written statement to the hospital and have someone close also have a copy to show the hospital physicians and the paramedics. It's your choice.

[SORRELHIPPO]

I sometimes get what I think of as "sleep apnoea" it is the stopping breathing that wakes me up. Hubby used to get this sometimes. if it is that, there is quite a bit of literature.

[garshe]

If you weren't breathing you would not know. Does'nt make sense !!!!!!

[Hidden in reply to garshe]

I do know I woke up my brain was telling me to breath because I woke up stop breathing

[Ergendl]

Curiously, before I was diagnosed with COPD and asthma, I used to forget to breathe in, but this was when I was conscious. I can still pause breathing for some time after breathing out if I choose to, but no longer do it by accident.

[Hidden in reply to Ergendl]

What helped you with that situation ?, and what mends do you take for your copd and asthma how are you coping with this?

[Ergendl in reply to Hidden]

I take Serevent preventer and occasionally Ventolin reliever inhalers. The main things that helped me understand and improve my breathing were doing a Pulmonary Rehab course early on, where the physios helped me curb my tendency to hyperventilate on exertion, and running a weekly singing for lung health group for lungies like myself, using diaphragm breathing. Other things that helped my breathing included reducing my weight to a mid-range BMI, going for brisk walks daily and building up to 10k steps a day, eating more healthily, and avoiding triggers like cheap perfumes and smoke.

[MoyB]

It's really hard to explain how you feel sometimes, isn't it, especially in writing? I agree with the person who suggested you contact your GP or asthma nurse to discuss what happened to you. Clearly, your experience frightened you and you would do well to ask a medically qualified person to help you understand what happened so that you will be better equipped to deal with it if it happens again. I hope you get some answers. xx Moy

[Lutontown]

Sleep apnoea? Google it, and see your GP.

[anng18]

Hi Colby,

I think I understand what you mean. I had a similar experience after my last covid vaccine. I woke up and could not get any air - a horrible feeling and very frightening. I quite often wake up at night breathless, but this was different. It took some time to get my breathing going, before I could even take an inhaler. I started steroids the following morning and wished I'd taken my anti-biotics. As it is I've had to take both recently, as whatever it was it did not totally clear with just steroids alone.

[Patk1]

Have the Royal Brompton given u a diagnosis and treatment Colby?

[horseygirl_0103]

I experience extreme coughing fits where I cant catch my breath enough to make the next cough and I cant breathe in fully which like your experience is very frightning